(AP-Fox News) Costas Kantouris - The UN said Sunday that at least 13,000 people were massed on Turkey's land border with Greece, after Turkey officially declared its western border open to migrants heading to the EU. Greek authorities fired tear gas and stun grenades throughout Saturday to prevent repeated attempts by a crowd of people massed at the border crossing in Kastanies to cross, and fought a cat-and-mouse game with groups cutting holes in a border fence along the border to crawl through. Stavros Zamalides, president of the local community in Kastanies, said, "Turkish soldiers with cutters in their hands were cutting the wires of the fence to lead the illegal migrants" into crossing the border. Under a 6 billion euro deal in 2016, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. Turkish President Erdogan has frequently threatened to "open the gates" and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided.
2020-03-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive